Coin-freed vending machine and the like



M 1929- w. v. ROSE ETAL 1,713,6 I pom FREED VENDING MACHINE AND THE LIKE Filed May 9, 1927 Patented May 21, 1929.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM VALENTINE ROSE, F TWICKENHAM, AND CECIL ROBERT GIBBS, .0! THORN TON HEATH, ENGLAND.

OOIN-FREED VENDING MACHINE AND THE LIKE.

Application filed lay 9, 1927, Serial No. 190,102, and in Great Britain Kay 12, 1928.

This invention relates to coin freed vending machines of the type comprising a. casing having a removable hinged, sliding or 7 other door, a slideway for a drawer or the like in the lower portion of the casing, a drawer co-operating with the said slide'way,

a magazine for packages or the like above and communicating with the drawer in the closed position, a drawer releasing .means at the side of the magazine, rearwardly extending means in connection with the drawer for cooperating with the said releasing means, and a coin chute in communication w-ith a slot in the casing and leading to the releasing means, which latter includes a catch adapted to be moved to the unlocking posit-ion by the coin when moved by the first portion of the movement to open the drawer.

In machines of the above type it has been proposed to provide two drawers in co-operative engagement with a guideway or guideways at the bottom of the casing, a magazine over each drawer, a releasing means in connection with each drawer, and two coin chutes leading to the releasing mechanism, the said releasing mechanism being located between the two magazines.

According to the present invention in machines of the type to which the invention relates, a drawer or drawers and associated magazine or magazines are employed and a cash box or receptacle is provided, suitably attached directly or indirectly to the base of the casing, the said cash box havingpivoted thereto on the upper side the catch or catches for co-operating with the means carried by the drawer or drawers to hold them in the locked osition.

Th locking ea or each locking'catch is forked at its free end and means are provided for enabling the coin which has passed through the chute to come to rest supported on its edge'in a suitable channel and between the arms of thefork, together with means connected to the drawer or drawers for moving the .coin, and a bevelled surface at the base oft-he fork of the pivoted lever beneath which the coin asses.

In order that the invention may better understood it will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which p Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a machine made according to a preferred embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 2 is a front elevation with the front panel removed;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary section on the line 3-3 Fig. 2, and I Fig. 4 is a fragmentary detail illustrating the action.

In the drawings 5 is a casting of aluminium or the like which comprises a base, back and top together with two sides the latter having notches or openings 6 for the passage of drawers hereafter described. 7

is another casting which forms the front of the casting 5. This casting 7 has two projecting pegs at the lower edge (not shown in the drawing) which enter apertures 8 in the base of the casting 5 to locate the. plate 7 in position. -9-is a lock between the top of-the plate 7 and the top of the casting 5 to lock the plate in position. 8 are wlndows in the plate 7 to enable the contents of the magazines hereafter described to be seen from the exterior.

l0 is a casting located Within casting 5 in contact with the base thereof and secured in position by screws 11. The casting 10 is formed on its upper, surface with a guideway'12 for two drawers 13, a drawer-entering at each end of the guideway. The parts are so positioned and arranged that when mounted in position the drawers 13 coincide with and in their action move through the slots or openings -6 in the side portions of the casting 5.

Attached to the centre of the casting 10 by screws 14 is another casting comprising a standard 15 and a housing 16 which latter forms a cash box. This housing is open at 17 on the front vertical face. 7

Each drawer 13 which is made from a casting, but which may be formed from sheet metal or otherwise co rises on the base means for cooperating with the guideway 12 of the casting 10; The drawer comprises a recess bounded by the side walls, front and back adapted to receive the lowermost peek-age of .a column at packages .10

the box with the packages.

cated in the space 18 coining vertically above the drawer.

The interior surfaces of the casting 5 and plate 7 are lt'orined'witlrribs 19 to minimize the frictional surface of contact vided with a rearward extension 20 in accordance with normal practice to come beneath the package next to the bottom pack-e age to support the column when the drawer is opened. These rearward extensions are suitably shaped to come on the sides of the standard 15. Each drawer is also provided on one'edge with a rearward extension 21secured thereto by means of screws 22 which extension has a vertical portion 23 (shewn dotted in Fig. 2). This vertical portion 23 is formed with a horizontally extendiir nrojection 24 formed with a somewhat'beve-lled front. The projection 24- comes over and is adapted to work upon the top of the casting 16 which forms the cash box.

It will be understood that in the machine shewn in the which extends to the other side of the lionsing. This free end is forked at 27 and providedat the base of the fork with a bevelled surface 28. 29 are downwardly projecting lugs or teeth one on each arm of the fork 27.

The top of the casting 16 beneath each forked end of the lever 26 is formed with a depression or channel 30 adapted to receive'a coin as hereafter explained. This channel gradually inclines downwards as shewn 'andends in an opening 31 leading to the interior of the cash box.

The arrangement of the parts is such that a coin such as 32 shewn-dotted in Figs. 2 and 3 when inserted comes to rest in the channel 30, between the arms of the forked end 27 of one of thelevers 26 and in frontof one of the projections 24.

If now the corresponding drawer 13 is pulled outwardly the projection 24- pushes the coin forward and the first forward movementof the coin lifts the lever 26, that is to say the free end of said lever, owing to the fact that the 'coin'engages beneath the inclined base 28 o-f the forked end. This first action withdraws the free end 27 of the lever 26 from the path of the projection 24;and enables the drawer to be opened. lVhen no coin is in position the free end of the lever acts as a retaining catch preventing the opening of the drawer. Upon further'movement of the drawer when once the projection 24-11215 passed the free end of the lever 27, it causes the coin 32 to be carried along by the projection 24 which latter owing to the raised position of the Each drawer is pro lever 26 is also enabled to clear the down ward-1y projecting tooth 29. When the drawer is fully opened or just before the fully I open position is attained, the coin drops into the cash box through the open ing 31. The package can now be removed from the open drawer and the drawer returned.

To prevent the draw *r from being opened after it has been returned through a suliicient portion of the movement to enable it to receive another package the tooth 29 is provided. On the return movement after the projection 2thas passed beneath this tooth the lever 26 dropsdownwards under its own weight or by means of a suitable spring (not shewn) or by a combination of these means and the tooth 29 prevents any further forward movement of the drawer until it has been returned to the fully closed position enabling the projection 24 to come into position for co-operation with another com. I Y l Another casting'33 is fixed by means of two downwardly extending limbs 34 and screws 35to the sides of the cash box casting,

and thiscasting 33 is formed with two chutes 36 for leading the coinsto the required positions. The chutes at their upper ends come beneath slots 37 in the top of the casting 5. The sides ofthe casting 33 form one of the walls bounding the spaces 18 for the columns of packages.

To enable access to be obtained to the interior of the machine for'the purpose of chargingthe magazines or removing the money from the cash box the plate 7 is re- -moved. This is a simple operation'as it is simply necessary to unfasten the lock 9, slightly turn the plate 7 about its lower edge and then to lift the plate to raise the projecting pins or studs at the lower edge thereof from the apertures 8 in the base of the casting 5.-

If desired suitable stop devices may .be provided for preventing-coins passing out of the chutes 36 when the drawers are in the open position. lVith one such arrangement springs normally held pressed back when the drawers are closed, project the stops into position. To prevent coins being inserted after the magazines have been exhausted pivoted shutters may be provided between the topofthecasting 5 and the chutes 36. These are normally kept open by springs but are closed by weights which come on the uppermost packages of the magazines and are connected by cords wires or the like to the pivoted shutters, which cords'or the like are ofsuch length that when the last package has been removed, the weight pulls the shut ter to the closed position.

The commodities contained in the. two spaces 18 may be of the same or similar nature or may differ one from the other.

They may also be of the same value and require a similar coin in each case to effect therelease, or on the other hand they may be of different values and require different coins to effect the release.

Although the drawers are shewn located in the sides or ends of the casing it is of course obvious that they may come in other positions for example at the front of the casing. Similarly although a form of machine has been described with a magazine and drawer on each side of the coin chute, release and collecting arrangement, if desired one magazine, drawer and associated parts may be dispensed with and only a single magazine with its coin chute and other associated parts may be provided, the rest of the construction remaining substantially the same;

It is obvious that the invention is not limited to the details of construction or precise forms described as these may be varied to suit particular cases and commodities to be delivered.

lVhat we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent in the United States of America is 1. A coin controlled vending machine comprising a casing, a drawer in the casing having a detent arm, a coin receiving receptacle in the casing and under which the drawer operates, and'provided at one end with a coin clearing opening and a channel leading to said opening and having an inclined bottom, a coin chute arranged to con duct a coin to the shallow end of said channel and in front of said detent arm, and a lever pivotally mounted at one end on said receptacle at a point above said coin clearing opening, the free end of said lever normally bearing on said receptacle at a point in front of said detent arm and being provided with a coin receiving open slot coincident with said channel and having an inclined upper side, said detent arm being active on openmg movement of the drawer to engagethe free end of said lever and thereby lock and pres vent the opening of the drawer in the event that no coin has been inserted.

2. A coin controlled vending machine as claimed in claim 1, in which the 'said lever is also provided on its under side with a tooth spaced from its free end and to engage 

